Azita Ardakani is the 27-year-old social genius behind the global clean-water campaign "Summit on the Summit." Fast Company contributor Shawn Parr spoke with her recently and learned important lessons for telling a compelling brand story.

In her new e-book, soap critic Lynn Liccardo writes about the culture of decision-making that facilitated the end of long-running daytime drama "As the World Turns." What could marketers and corporate communicators learn from where the show went wrong?